


Shooting Star

by Shelaar (JonathanAnubian)



Series: Starlight AUs [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Force-Sensitive Clones (Star Wars), Found Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Kamino, Mandalorian Culture, No Chips, Time Travel, clone culture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24275722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JonathanAnubian/pseuds/Shelaar
Summary: Liera had been working as a mercenary for the better part of two years. She had earned a reputation as a professional medic who could take care of herself in a firefight. Of course no one knew she was really a former jedi, and she intended to keep it that way.But when the mercenary group she had joined for a job ended up taking refuge in an old temple on some backwater planet- everything turned upside down.Who were these tall sentients and why in SithHellshad the Jedi ordered an army from them?
Relationships: Kal Skirata & Original Female Character, Null-6 | Kom'rk Skirata/Original Female Character, Original Female Character & Boba Fett, Original Female Character & Nulls, Original Female Character & jango Fett
Series: Starlight AUs [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727944
Comments: 41
Kudos: 148





	1. Drizzle

Marching to class in neat lines the group of cadets were startled into scattering by a flash of blinding light. A myriad of colors the likes of which they had never seen before rippled outward before vanishing as if they’d never been. When the cadets finally got their bearings one of them pointed out the crumpled form on the floor nearby. It was covered in a white cloak but they could clearly see the pale brown boots sticking out.

“W-what do we do?” One of them finally asked aloud.

“Someone needs to tell the trainers. They might be an infiltrator!” The other boys all agreed and sent off the fastest brother in the group. While they waited they took up guard positions around the downed form but none of them dared approach it. For all they knew this was some kind of new test the Kaminoans had devised.

A couple of older clones came around the corner and the cadets relaxed a little.

“What’s going on here?” They looked to their group leader as the boy stood straighter.

“We were on our way to class when there was a bright flash. When it was over they appeared on the ground. They haven’t moved once.” The older clone looked at the brother next to him.

“Be ready for anything” The two of them cautiously made their way over to the unmoving form. When nothing happened one of them reached for the white fabric and carefully pulled it away. What they found underneath made the two of them breathless and the cadets confused. It was a natural born, but not one of their instructors. Their hair was an odd color, somewhere between blonde and red but so pale it almost looked pink. Their skin was nearly white, making them look deathly pale, but the rise and fall of their chest suggested they were breathing steadily. Their clothes were strange but could be ignored.

“I’m going to frisk them, keep watch.” The kneeling trooper said to the one standing. They nodded.

Checking the intruder brought two major surprises. One, they were most definitely a female of whatever species she was, although she looked human you could never be sure. Two, she was armed. Unhooking the blaster and slug thrower from her belt he handed them to his brother and turned to check for more when something clattered to the ground and rolled toward him. Startled he looked down at it and froze. A lightsaber.

“Vod… it’s a Jedi.” All the breath left them as they stared down at the first jedi they had ever seen in person. There was a sudden flash of urgency and he quickly checked their pulse, just to be sure. Thankfully she seemed to be fine.

“What’s all this? What happened?” Turning toward one of the trainers they relaxed. It was Cort. A hard man but a good one.

“Sir! The cadets found them and alerted us. They’re… they’re a Jedi, Sir.” That stopped the former journeyman protector in his tracks.

“You’re sure?” One of them pointed toward the lightsaber, almost afraid to touch it out of reverence and fear. “Right. Get them to one of the infirmaries.” He ordered. “Cadets, I want you all to explain what you saw.”

[Liera]

Floating amidst a sea of stars Liera slowly opened her eyes. The dimmed light of a medical room was the first thing she saw. Making sure she wasn’t attached to anything, like a machine or IV drip, she slowly sat up and took in her surroundings. Wherever this was they certainly had top of the line medical equipment. Closing her eyes she reached out with the force and felt the millions of life-forms around her. Most of them were quite young and she wondered if she had somehow found herself in some kind of nursery hospital. Yet she didn’t get the sense that many of the life-forms around her were wounded or sick. So maybe just a nursery. Someone entered the room and she opened her eyes to see a sentient with long slender limbs and large dark eyes.

“I am medical assistant Wren Lo. We are pleased to see you have awoken, Master Jedi.” Liera went to correct the creature, it sounded potentially female, but quickly bit her tongue. There was no hostility in them when they called her a jedi and seemed almost excited by her presence. Besides that she had been stripped of her clothing and gear, including her weapons. They knew she carried lightsabers. So she put on as polite a smile she could.

“Master Faashailih, but you may call me Master Hiena.” It was a tactic she had used before, using her twin’s name in place of her own. It was familiar enough that she would respond to it immediately. The creature inclined their head slowly, a polite gesture.

“If you would like to get dressed we have cleaned your clothing. All of your belongings will be returned to you as well.” Liera relaxed and nodded.

“Thank you, Assistant Wren Lo.” The creature seemed to stop for a moment, regarding her carefully, before it gracefully left the room. Liera let our a sigh of relief and quickly got dressed. She saw that her blaster and slug thrower were gone and cursed. Someone had taken her guns. She had paid good money for those! But at least they left her with her lightsabers. Grumbling she hooked them to her belt before pulling on her cloak. Shifting the fabric she pinned it so it would be out of her way and show off her lightsabers. If the fact that she was a ‘jedi’ was already well known and accepted then she could use them as a shield for now.

“Ah, very good. The Prime Minister is waiting to speak with you. This way, please.” Liera almost tripped over her own two feet. Why would the Prime Minister wish to meet with her? Had they called for jedi aid and mistaken her for the one sent by the jedi to help them? She looked at Wren Lo in the force and found a very calculating and rigid spirit. It seemed kind of familiar but she was unsure why.

Walking through the long halls she squinted at the bright white of the walls. Every once in a while she’d see a splash of color that she knew was outside normal human range and winced. It would take her a while to get used to the harsh lighting. Pulling up her hood she hid in the shade of it and relaxed. It was still bright but with the light not directly searing into her retinas she would be fine.

When Liera met Taun We and Lama Su she was horrified to learn the jedi had commissioned an entire army of clones. They were giving birth to Sentients only to train them up as soldiers to die for the Jedi. The world spun. All those bright little lights, they were the future soldiers! She was able to pull herself together long enough to agree to a tour. Even though she was a little early, they said, she could see the clones progress at least.

The tour was a force given test of her patience. They never went into anything detailed and seemed to be playing proper ‘host.’ Pitching their wares as if they weren’t living, breathing, sentient beings with thoughts and emotions of their own.

“Who is the originator of this army?” She stopped, looking out over a training room filled with children and her heart ached in her chest. Whenever they saw her there was a spike of awe and hope but it was mixed with a potent fear that made her want to weep.

“A bounty hunter named Jango Fett.” She wanted to clench her hands into fists but instead let the emotion running through her out into the force. Of course it would be a mercenary. Who else would be crazy enough to let themselves be cloned millions of times for an army.

“I would dearly like to meet this originator. It would be interesting to see the contrast between the original and the clones. I’m sure your modifications will be quite obvious in the comparison.” There was a faint feeling of smugness from the prime minister but she pretended not to notice.

“I, unfortunately, do not have more time for you, Master jedi. Might I suggest Taun We continue with your tour?” She smiled and gave the Kaminoan a polite bow.

The tour continued, although now with an end destination in mind. She looked down at the clones as she passed, her heart aching for them in her chest. The eldest of them couldn’t be older than nine standard years old with the accelerated aging, their biological age somewhere around nineteen. Yet when she watched them she could only see fierce, dedicated, warriors. Men brought up to be soldiers and nothing else.

Thankfully before she could work herself into a fit they were on their way to meeting with the genetic template for the clones. The hallways were devoid of any clones, only Kaminoans and a couple of other sentients who looked at her in surprise. They stopped in front of a door and her gracious host buzzed to be let inside. Liera wasn’t sure what she had been expecting but a nine year old child, who both looked and felt nine, was not it. Especially since he was an exact replica of the clones she had seen moments before.

“Boba. Is your father in?” The boy blinked up at them and nodded. Taun We tilted her head slightly. “May we see him?” The boy shrugged and turned around, letting them inside.

“Buir! Taun We is here!” Liera froze just inside the door. She knew that language. Her Master had seen the rising crisis between Mandalore and the Republic and had urged her to pick up the language. In the last two years she had been running from the jedi order she had used Mando’a to great effect. As long as she hid her powers and lightsabers the Mandalorian mercenaries seemed to accept her well enough. She was a fully trained field medic and if she worked carefully she could use the force to help heal them without anyone being the wiser. It hadn’t taken long for her to gain a reputation as a skilled battlefield medic for hire.

After a moment she shook off her surprise and followed Taun We into the apartment. Standing in a basic tunic and slacks was a man with a face she had seen copied millions of times. Yet he felt nothing like any of them. There was a deep scar of hurt, hatred, and self loathing that nearly rent the man in two. He had suffered traumatically in his life and that pain was so easy to see that it almost made her flinch.

“Jango, this is Jedi Master Hiena Faashailih. She’s come to check on our progress.” Looking up at the man she gave a short bow, her eyes never leaving his. This was a proud man, a Mandalorian if she’d heard correctly earlier. Showing weakness would just sour their interaction.

“Su’cuy’gar.” She said politely. The man stiffened, eyes narrowing in anger. She kept the apprehension she was feeling from her face as she straightened. “I’ve been looking in on the men, they must have a very strict training regimen.” The man seemed surprised, enough to shove some of his anger aside.

“They do. The jedi want the best, we’ll give them the best.” She nodded slowly, trying to wrap her head around the idea of jedi ordering an army of sentients. This was against everything she had ever known. Had the jedi somehow gone rogue? Were they trying to create another Empire? It was inconceivable, or at least it had been before she woke up in this nightmare of a place.

“I see.” Turning to Taun We she smiled and shifted her body ever so slightly to seem more subservient. She had noticed that the Kaminoans were very… insular. But they were also arrogant and felt themselves superior. “My apologies, Taun We. My discussion with Mister Fett might run a little long. I would like to go over logistics with him. Would you mind returning in an hour or so? I am certain you have much better things to do as an Aide to the Prime Minister than listen to us speak of minutiae.” There was a flash of surprise from both Fett and the Kaminoan but after a moment the female’s emotions shifted. She was quite self important and clearly appreciated having her superiority noted.

“Of course, Master jedi. If you require anything please, let us know.” With a small incline of her head she swept gracefully out of the door. Once it was closed behind her Liera began to relax. Until the bounty hunter’s emotions swelled and she found herself ducking a grab.

“Woah! Hold on!” The man growled, eyes flicking down to her lightsabers as if waiting for her to draw them. “I am not your enemy, tion suvarir?” The man snarled at her.

“Shabla jetii!” Well now, that was just rude. Why was he so against jedi? They had a history of being enemies but surely if he was working for the jedi he wouldn’t be trying to murder one, would he?

“Nu’jetii!” She declared, squaring her soldiers. She was no longer a jedi. The man glared at her, eyes dark with fury. She sent out a wave of calm but found he was quite resistant to the force.

“Jahaat!” Untruth. Lies, he’d said. She grit her teeth.

“Nayc, haat! I quit the Order two years ago after they murdered my father!” The man paused, feeling confused and conflicted. “Did you think that jedi don’t have families? The Master/Padawan relationship is considered a form of adoption.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Our masters raise us, train us, keep us safe and fed. They take care of our wounds and make sure our mental health is seen to. Just because it’s a religious organization doesn’t mean we are completely cut off from family groups. A lot of species need closeness and interaction to remain healthy.” The jedi just didn’t need to touch one another for that sense of belonging. They could reach out with the force and get the same feeling.

“Then why the jetii’kade?” He asked, still wary.

“I earned my lightsabers. The crystals chose me and I built them myself. I won’t let the jedi take them away from me just because I’m no longer one of them.” Throughout this entire ordeal the boy, she assumed he was the man’s son, watched them both carefully.

“You speak Mando’a, why?” She blinked then looked away. It was risky, he was still angry, but she couldn’t keep staring at the fluctuating emotions behind his eyes.

“My Master noticed the rising tension between Mandalore and the Republic. He had me learn Mando’a in case we had to fight. I’ve found it useful these past two years, working as a ver’verd baar’ur.” A mercenary medic wasn’t what she had trained to be but with the credits she earned on jobs she could help those less fortunate than herself. Liera might not be a jedi any longer but she was still rooted in the light. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling vulnerable and wary. “The Kaminoans stole my blaster and slug thrower while I was unconscious. I’d really like them back, they were expensive.”

“Why are you here?” He finally asked bluntly.

“I… don’t know. I woke up here.” She was surprised he’d calmed down so quickly. Though she could still see the anger in every line of his body he wasn’t directing any of it toward her. “The last thing I remember… I was in an abandoned temple with a new mercenary group. Then there was a bright flash and I woke up in a medical bed here.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure if someone used a stun grenade then drugged me with an amnesiac or what.” The memories were all fuzzy and odd. Like her eyes were sliding past something before she could really register what it was.

“How old are you?” It was a fairly common question but it still rankled.

“Eighteen, old enough to be on my own.” The man looked skeptical and she sighed. “I’ve been on my own for two years, I don’t need someone worrying about me now.” Reaching up she rubbed at her temples. She’d taken her hood off when confronting the man, to be polite, but the lights were starting to bother her again. “Look, I just wanted to ask you about the army.”

“What about it?” He growled. She scoffed.

“I’m not sure how much you know about the Republic Charter, and I’m fairly certain you don’t know about the Jedi Charter at all. They aren’t really keen on just anyone reading it after all. But the portion of the Charter I want to bring up is this- jedi are not allowed to own property, rule over other sentients, wear armor, or have a standing army. This army is something the jedi would never commission.” She shook her head. “Whoever hired you, certainly didn’t do it with the Order’s blessing.”

“I’m just a simple man-” She gave him a heated look and flapped her hand in the air.

“Well now, that’s certainly a lie.” She gave him a pointed look of disapproval. “I’m not part of the Order anymore, I couldn’t care less about what they’re up to unless it has to do with the subjugation of millions of life-forms. In which case I am both highly disturbed and very concerned.” The man’s expression became thoughtful.

“What makes you think they’re being subjugated?” Her anger flared and it took her a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“The way the Kaminoans speak of them. ‘The units, our products.’ Serial numbers instead of names. Indoctrinated from birth. Let’s not pretend this isn’t just another form of slavery.” The man didn’t show any outward change in demeanor but his emotions flared erratically for a moment and she felt a wave of sadness envelope her. That visceral reaction… he had been a slave once.

“What do you want?” It wasn’t an easy question to answer. Tiredly she sagged against the wall at her back, looking out into the stormy ocean behind the glass.

“For someone to turn down the damn lights. My weapons and armor returned. To have a purpose again. For my father to be alive. To find out what the hell happened and why I’m here. To save all these sentients I can feel around me… I don’t know. I want a lot of things. But I doubt I’ll get any of them.” She shook her head sadly and winced.

Somehow her admittance soothed something in the man across from her and he relaxed.

“So you convinced the Kaminii that you’re a Master Jedi.” Liera snorted in amusement.

“I didn’t convince them of anything. They saw my lightsabers and lack of padawan braid then assumed I was a master. I am surprised they took everything in stride though, seeing as I have no idea how I came to be here.” She wanted to sigh deeply but refrained. “They’re pretty easy to read, though. They’re arrogant, elitist, and insular. They believe themselves to be superior to everyone else in every way.” Her nose crinkled with distaste. “Give the right compliments and act just this side of subservient and they will preen. Makes them easier to manipulate.” The man watched her carefully and she felt his disquiet. “It’s not the Force. I think they might be partially immune to force tricks and I’m terrible at them anyway. It’s just basic psychology.”

“You said you were a ver’verd baar’ur? What were you before that?”

“A jet’ika medic, therapist, and force healer. Jedi need mental health check-ups too, more often than most.” He pursed his lips and stood there, arms crossed in thought. She knew she was being interrogated, the steely blues she could see in his aura made him out to be someone intelligent and calculating. “I spent my apprenticeship on battlefields in the aftermath of civil war, helping stop plagues on quarantined planets, and healing recently freed slaves. Master Paldrel was a Jedi Guardian, one of the Temple’s six Blademasters. I’ve been working in the field since I was eleven.” The sudden spike or surprise-anger-concern made no sense to her but she didn’t react to it.

“The jetii are all dini’la.” He muttered.

“Well. When even a jetii’ad can lift a full grown man and send them flying…” She shrugged. It had never seemed all that big a deal to her growing up.

An awkward silence descended then and she shifted nervously from one foot to the other. The Mandalorian was still watching her, judging her. Finally he let out a huff.

“What are you going to do now?” Liera looked him in the eyes once more.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know where in the galaxy I am. I’d like to stay here until I can get my bearings but I’m nor sure whether that’s an option or not. I don’t even have a sh-ship.” She swallowed hard at the word. The storm outside had raged since she’d woken up and somehow she felt that it wouldn’t abate any time soon. Even if she did have a ship she’d be loath to try and fly it in that weather. The very thought made her tremble and hug herself, shrinking slightly in fear.

“You said you’re nu’jetii, does that mean you’ve left everything behind?” The look in his eyes was calculating and she shivered.

“I don’t hold to the Code any longer, if that’s what you’re asking. Not after I was betrayed. But my morals won’t be swayed. I refuse to kill the innocent or take advantage of those weaker than myself. I won’t hesitate to kill if I have to, to defend myself or others. But I’m not averse to it.” Even as a jedi she knew that death was unavoidable at times. Even if she would always try the peaceful solution first.

“I think we can work together, ver’verd baar’ur.” She perked up at his words. “There are things the Kaminii have been doing that I have no control over. But a jetii…” Liera nodded in understanding. She didn’t mind tricking the monsters who treated other sentients like objects.

“Gar serim.” She sensed people coming closer to the front door and frowned slightly. “Were you expecting someone? Or has it already been an hour?” It didn’t feel as though an hour had passed. The door buzzed and the boy went to go answer it. Two men came into the room, both watching her curiously.

“Cort, Kal.” So the man had been expecting them, then. She should have felt frightened, or worried, but the two men were more curious than anything.

“I think it’s worth a shot.” The first man, around the same age as Jango, smiled at her. “I think I have something of yours.” He held out her weapons and she almost melted in relief.

“Oh thank the force! I hate having to replace things.” Taking them from him she looked them over quickly, to make sure they hadn’t been tampered with, before putting them back where they belonged. The second man, with graying hair and a slight limp, watched her warily as she handled the weapons.

“What did you do, steal them from a collector?” She blinked in confusion.

“No, well the slugthrower is kind of old true, but the blaster is a newer model. It’s why it was so expensive.” There was a feeling of denial and wariness in the force around her and she froze. “What?” There was something wrong here and she wasn’t sure what it was. A sense of… something.

The man with graying hair tilted his head slightly and she felt as if he was listening to someone speaking. After a moment he scowled.

“What’s your real name? Who are you really?” She sighed.

“Liera Buraaisuh. I told the Kaminoans my name was Hiena Faashailih- it’s my sister’s name.” They digested the information and finally seemed to relax.

“Alright then, Hiena,” he said, emphasizing her false identity. “We’ll see how this new partnership works out. But we’ll be watching you.” She looked between the three men and nodded slowly.

“Okay. So, what’s the plan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations:
> 
> Su cuy’gar- Hello.  
> Tion suvarir- Understand?  
> Shabla jetii- Fucking jedi  
> Nu’jetii!- Non-jedi/Not jedi, no longer a jedi.  
> Jahaat!- Lies!  
> Nayc, haat!- No, it’s the truth!  
> Dini’la- Insane  
> Gar serim- You’re right.


	2. Rainfall

Telling the Kaminoans that she wished to oversee the training of ‘her’ future troops made her stomach curdle in a very uncomfortable way. The creatures dithered and tried to convince her that everything was going perfectly according to plan but she refused to budge. She used every trick she’d ever learned to make the Kaminoans believe it was they who had invited her to stay and with Jango backing her up they found it very hard to say no without having to explain why they didn’t want the presence of their ‘customer’ on their planet.

The room she was given was similar to Jango’s, and she assumed the other non Kaminoans that lived there. The first thing she did was find the lighting controls and dim the lights considerably. Compared to the brightly lit halls her room was now twilight to their mid-day. It eased her terrible headache significantly. Tossing her cloak over the back of the couch she looked around the room with its human sized furniture and wondered who’d owned it before her. There was a vague sense of someone long gone in the force but she decided it was better not to pry. In the bedroom she stashed her slug thrower but kept her blaster on her belt. If the majority of the trainers for the troops were Mandalorian then they would respect her more if she was openly armed. She shifted her lightsabers to a more visible position and loosened her holster to it sat a little lower. It was still easy to grab her blaster but now it wasn’t in the way of her lightsabers, not that it mattered since she could summon them with the force.

Slipping out of her belts and outer layers she climbed into bed, exhausted from the ups and downs she’d been through since waking on Kamino. She’d learned a lot and none of it really made sense to her. They really were training the troops to obey the Jedi. She wondered if she should try to contact the temple but from the look of Jango, Kal, and Cort, doing so would land her in a lot of trouble. She would have to treat this as either an undercover operation or as a mercenary job. One of them made her feel far less disturbed than the other if she was being honest with herself.

Falling asleep took longer than she would have liked but when what passed as ‘morning’ came around she pulled herself out of bed and began her early routine. Stretches, kata, and some meditation later she was feeling a little more like herself, as if her force signature hadn’t been aligned with the universe around her and was slowly melding with it once again. She would have thought it was force suppressants but she wouldn’t have been able to sense so much the day before if they’d been in her system.

After getting dressed and arming herself she left to find the man named Kal. He said he would have someone show her around and answer any questions she had. It would be nice if she could start with some tea and a nice hot meal. Working on an empty stomach was possible but never pleasant.

The night before she’d told them she didn’t need instructions on how to find them if she needed to, after all she had the Force. They’d all looked mildly uncomfortable and Cort mumbled about ‘jetii magic’ but they left it at that. It wasn’t hard to find the man’s quarters since it wasn’t too far from Jango’s. Although there were extra life signs inside at the moment. Politely she rang the door and waited.

The door slid open and an older version of the clones she’d already seen stood there in full armor, scrutinizing her carefully as if assessing her threat level. Just from looking at him she could tell he was different from the other clones. He somehow seemed more dense, larger in size if only a little, and his presence was an immense storm in the force. She had no doubt this man could break her, force or no force.

“Kal said to come find him when I woke up.” Dark eyes narrowed at her for a moment before the man looked back and called into the room.

“Buir, te aruetii cuyir olar.” Well that was rude. She may have been an outsider but saying it out loud, not even to her face, was just impolite.

“K’olar!” Came the commanding voice of the older man she’d met the night before. The clone moved out of her way, allowing her access to Kal’s quarters.

“Ni jatne emuurir Tomad.” _I prefer Ally._ She said evenly as she walked past him and into the apartment that was much larger than her own. It was less like a singular apartment and more like a small barracks.

“I was wondering when you’d show up.” Though his voice sounded gruff she could see that the older man was actually pleased with her appearance. His eyes roamed over her form, stopping on her lightsabers and blaster with approval. “Have a seat, I have some questions.” Taking a singular chair she sat herself down and watched Kal as he looked over a datapad.

The man sat across from her, the clone from before shadowing his every move. “This is my son, Ordo.” She inclined her head politely, a small smile tugging at her lips. She knew the Mandalorian practice of adoption and felt some of the negative emotions stuck in her chest loosen. At least someone was treating them as actual people.

“Nice to meet you, Ordo. I’m Hiena.” Dark eyes regarded her with mild suspicion but he nodded sharply in acknowledgment.

“You were a mercenary before this?” Kal asked incredulously and her attention shifted back to him.

“For two years, as a medic. I had… just left the Jedi Order and was stuck on the surface of a planet I didn’t want to be on anymore. I used what funds I could access to get myself some new clothes and hopped on the first transport out of the system. The next thing I know we’re being boarded by pirates. Helping to fend them off earned me the respect of the captain. He ended up being a supplier for a well known mercenary group and offered to introduce me.” She wanted to add that it must have been the ‘will of the force’ because otherwise she was certain she would have been on the run after leaving the Order, rather than crafting a new persona for herself and living as a mercenary.

“A medic?” He prompted.

“I’m most knowledgeable at force healing and mental health but I’ve been a battlefield medic since I was eleven.” There was an odd twitch around the man’s eyes for a moment and she gave him a reassuring smile of sympathy. She knew what her past sounded like to Mandalorians, who were very protective of children. “I used to be a Jedi, they don’t count physical age as much as mental maturity. I’ve always been quite mature for my age.” Imagine her shock when she’d learned it was actually a racial trait. Her people grew up fast then plateaued for the majority of their life before there was an equally fast decline. It was the necessity of adapting to their more aggressive home environment. By their standards she was actually a little slow to develop.

“Your name?” She frowned at him, she’d already told him her name. Glancing at the datapad she figured he must be following up to try and catch her in a lie. She let out a small sigh.

“Liera Buraaisuh, but I go by Hiena Faashailih right now. If you want to try and find my record as a mercenary I went by Stella Farskei with the Parjai Company.” That seemed to make the man pause for a moment, scrolling through the datapad with a frown.

“Alright, who are you really?” She blinked in confusion.

“I already told yo-”

“The only jetii named Liera Buraaisuh we can find in the Coruscanti records died over seven hundred years ago. So. You want to try again?” Jolting in her chair she stared, mouth agape, at the man across from her. There was no way in Sith _Hells_ that he was telling the truth. This had to be some sort of test.

“Well Liera is a common name for my people, it means Starlight. Buraaisuh… it’s a name given to outsiders. The name they gave to me when I was taken by the jedi at only two months old. It means Far Skies. But I’m the only one from my people the jedi ever took! It was either that or I was to be killed because of my birth people’s religious beliefs.” She was torn between wondering if she’d been named after a famous ancestor and panicking because something must have happened to her citizenship records on Coruscant.

“Do you think the jetii lied to you?” She chewed her bottom lip and closed her eyes, taking a moment to just breathe.

“No, but the Coruscant Citizenship records and a Jedi’s personal records are held in two separate archives.” She shook her head. “There is a high chance they were misfiled.” Although when last she checked everything was in order. She’d had someone look into it for her a year ago to see if anyone was looking for- “Oh.” She said sheepishly. Kal gave her a look and she wilted slightly, cheeks coloring. “I asked a slicer to look into my files and if anyone was looking for me to bury them. He assured me that everything was in order and I wasn’t in danger. I didn’t think he’d meant I was safe because he’d altered the files.”

“Why did you think you were in danger?” Ordo asked from behind his father.

“I didn’t exactly _ask_ for permission to leave the jedi. A missing padawan would have been something of a worry for the Order, but…” Closing her eyes as the pain swept through her at the memories she tried to reign herself in. Getting overly emotional at the moment was not helpful. “My master, the man I considered my father, was executed by the jedi.” She could feel their sharp surprise from across the room. “I was there for the tail end of the fight. I’d been injured and had fallen unconscious, my master must have hidden my presence to go scouting. I woke up and watched them kill him.” Tears came to her eyes but she stubbornly refused to let them spill over. “They sent two of the best Blademasters to confront him. I still don’t know why.” She looked down at her hands, feeling an echo of the hopelessness she’d felt at the time. “They killed my master and I panicked, so I ran.”

The whole time she was being questioned she’d felt the presence of others in the man’s quarters. With similar sensations to Ordo she assumed they were either there to monitor her or guard Kal from any potential danger. After all she was a jedi and an outsider. Some signal must have passed between them as the other two finally came out of hiding to stand near their… brother? 

“Why did you run?” the one on the left asked, voice calmer than Ordo’s had been.

“I was sixteen at the time and absolutely terrified.” At their blank looks she scoffed. “Just look at me.” She motioned toward herself in an almost self deprecating manner. “Do I look like I could have taken on two Jedi Blademasters? Two of the best warriors of the Order who have mastered one of the saber combat forms to the point of being considered the master of the form?” She let her hand drop back into her lap. “I’m a Medic. I’m also five feet tall and weight ninety-five pounds sopping wet. I was even smaller back then.”

For the first time since she’d appeared the men across from her seemed to take in her appearance properly, rather than just the idea of her as a jedi. Even a particularly well armed jedi. It was always funny how people seemed to make the jedi much larger in their minds than they actually were. The top of her head barely made it to Ordo’s chin.

“Look, if you want me to prove I am who I say I am then why not just run a couple of blood tests? My DNA is non-standard near-human considering my people are bioluminescent; and there are very few species in the galaxy that share this trait.” 

“We were planning on it.” Ordo said from behind Kal.

[***]

After multiple tests, performed by one of the medical clones who did not yet have a name, it seemed they finally believed her. “Now that we’ve established I am who I say I am, and that it was probably the meddling of my slicer friend, can I have that tour now? Hopefully starting with the mess hall?” She didn’t remember the last time she’d eaten which was certainly not healthy. Mercenary she might be but she was always sure to have something healthy on her. Except that someone had rummaged through her gear and stripped her down to her base clothes. Considering Cort had given her back her weapons he might know where the rest of her gear was stashed.

“We’ll take you to the trainer’s mess.” She wasn’t sure whether she was worried or relieved. If Kal was one of the trainers and their overall boss was Jango then she could assume they were all Mandalorian as well. Hopefully they had a less visceral reaction to her than Jango had.

Entering the mess hall she could smell the morning meal and gratefully loaded her tray. There was a small section for caf and she happily got herself a nice warm cup. When she put a dash of salt into the drink one of the clones stared at her with a mix of curiosity and confusion. “Salt cuts down the bitterness and can even help get rid of that staleness that comes with tank stored water. It’s a habit by now.” She shrugged and added a bit of sugar to sweeten it then went to sit down.

The clones, her tour guides for the day, joined her at her table. One of them, who introduced himself as Mereel, peppered her with questions that she answered in between bites of food. It was everything from what kind of weapons she was proficient in, to what the temple life had been like, to asking about her medical knowledge. All of which she answered easily and in good humor.

Even as she sat there eating and answering questions she let her senses spread outward and take in the people around her. The mess wasn’t full, Mereel explained that some of the trainers had the day off and were sleeping in or just preferred to make food in their quarters, so she had no trouble feeling out the trainers. Most of them felt like the kind of people she’d worked with as part of Parjai Company. It was comforting to be around so many who burned with a warrior’s spirit.

Then a Mandalorian in red armor with a grey-green bodysuit walked into the room and she choked on her caf. Pushing her tray away from her so she didn’t spit up anything on it she coughed a few times, pushing the force through her lungs to clear them. The clones watched her, wary, but her attention was elsewhere. The man in the red armor was human, fairly well built, with pale skin, blue eyes, and medium brown hair. Even from halfway across the room she could feel the darkness and death that clung to him. Considering the friendly way a couple of the other trainers, including a woman in orange and yellow armor with a similar darkness, greeted him she knew that no one would take her observations at face value.

“Are… you okay?” Mereel asked her. Blinking she felt the ‘warmth’ she associated with her ability to ‘see’ drain from her eyes and turned to look at the two clones. She put on as polite a smile as she could.

“I’m fine. But after that coughing fit I don’t think I’m particularly hungry anymore.” The two clones watched her quietly and she could feel their unease, even through the storm of emotions that swirled about them nigh constantly. She wondered where they got the energy from to be so emotional yet act so calm all the time.

“Your eyes were glowing, that can’t be natural.” Ordo stated simply. Liera couldn’t help but to laugh, unfortunately it seemed to both make the clones tense and call attention to her from others in the room.

“It’s a natural trait. I told you that I’m bioluminescent, yeah? Well my birth species have two ways to look at the world. We see with our eyes, although it’s a bit bright for me to see well in this place, and we see through the force.” When the two said nothing in response she decided to continue. “I can tell that you’re Ordo and that you’re Mereel just as easily as I can tell Jango and Kal apart while blindfolded.” She glanced over at the couple shrouded in darkness and lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Just as easily as I can see a demagolka when they walk into a room.” Demagolka, one of the worst things you could call someone in Mando'a. Based on a villain of Mandalorian history who experimented on children.

Ordo and Mereel paused before they both scanned the room for a moment, probably trying to tell if she was just using it as an example or if she was trying to trick them somehow.

“Why don’t we continue with the more in depth tour? I’m supposed to show up where the Kaminoans will see me acting in my capacity as a jedi. If we see something I know the jedi would complain about I can inform them that I plan to stay here as an oversight so that the… _products_ are up to standard.” The word curled around her tongue in a way that made her face scrunch in disgust. She had to breathe through her anger and revulsion for a moment and remind herself that she was doing this to help he clones. The blow to her morals and pride were nothing compared to saving as many of these bright sparks of life as she could.

“You don’t sound very confident.” Ordo felt skeptical while Mereel seemed vaguely concerned over something.

“I’ll manage. My people, Haasufeilians not the Jedi, find it very difficult to… well to lie. If you have a group of people who can literally see and feel when you’re lying at all times it creates a culture of brutal honesty. But the Kaminoans don’t seem very keen to understand human psychology and while someone skilled could see the tightening of my eyes or the defensive way I stand when I lie the Kaminoans won’t.” Ordo nodded to her, giving off a complex set of emotions. Chief among them was a hatred so strong it sent a shiver down her spine.

After putting the tray away she let the two clones lead her to different parts of the facility and wondered how many times she would get lost before she finally figured it all out. The temple was a maze but it was built in such a way that a force sensitive would easily find their way around. Here it seemed to be built to some strange Kaminoan sense of efficiency.

Coming into one of the many training rooms she watched a pair of clones squaring off against each other while the others in their group stood by watching. It looked like some sort of sparring or perhaps an endurance test, seeing as one of them looked far more exhausted than the other. Though he was dripping sweat the one who felt primarily blue to her, steady and intelligent, almost seemed to predict his opponents moves. She could almost see the methodical way his mind logged each small shift his opponent made and yet… there was something almost unnatural about how quickly he reacted to some things.

Once the man’s opponent was on the floor, clearly surrendering, she made her presence known. All it took was one look at her lightsabers and everyone in the room came to attention at once. Feeling their emotions strongly she could sense their fear, awe, and curiosity. She chose to ignore the first and smiled brightly, hoping to encourage more of the latter. “Good morning, gentlemen. I am Jedi Master Hiena Faashailih, you may call me Hiena if you prefer.” There was a mild shift of discomfort amongst the clones but no one spoke up in reply. Turning to the man who was covered in sweat she let her eyes roam over his form as she assessed his condition.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of exercise is this?” Motioning at the man she hoped he didn’t feel singled out by her.

“General, if I may?” She turned to the man who felt like a deep well of purple and acknowledged him.

“It’s a Gauntlet, Sir. CC-2224 is one of the best hand to hand combatants in the unit. He wanted to be challenged.” She could see the men around her tense slightly and felt her smile falter slightly.

“I see. That is commendable, one must always seek to be challenged. How many ah, matches, has… CC-2224 won?” As much as she tried to hide how uncomfortable it made her to call a man by a numbered designation she knew they saw her falter. She wasn’t sure whether the men themselves liked their designations or not but she hoped they didn’t misunderstand her hesitation.

“Thirteen and rising, General.” That was another thing she would have to talk to the Kaminoans about. Jedi were not General material, at all. They were at best small group oriented and at least solo operatives.

“That’s quite impressive, thank you for the explanation…” She wasn’t sure whether to ask for his name or his designation. Thankfully he seemed to understand.

“CC-6454, Sir.” She nodded to him in gratitude.

“Thank you, CC-6454.” She glanced back at CC-2224 and saw him watching her, eyes calculating. “Why don’t I let you gentlemen continue. I’m only here to observe for today.”

Stepping back to stand with her two guides she watched CC-2224 go up against four more opponents. Some might see a superior and try to show off, throw their all into it and in the end tire themselves out. But this man was clearly more logical than that. He conserved his energy as much as possible and took out each opponent as quickly and cleanly as he could. It was like watching poetry in motion. Violent poetry. But they were being trained as Mandalorians so it made perfect sense to her.

Walking up to the exhausted man once his opponent let him up off the ground she smiled. “That was quite the display. Are you alright?” Just by looking at him she could tell he had bruised ribs and a wrenched shoulder but he seemed to be handling it with a stoic calmness that seemed quite practiced. The man watched her carefully for a moment before straightening.

“I’m fine, Sir.” A small sigh left her and she hesitated for a moment. She was only supposed to observe, not interfere. But already she was noticing some tells that were quite concerning.

“Is that what you call it?” She asked, her voice lowering slightly and eyes flashing. The men all froze on the spot, watching the two of them and bleeding worry. Well, if they expected a career medic to just ignore a blatant lie about their health they had another thing coming. Stepping up into the man’s space she could see the way he tensed, as if expecting an attack, and the way his spine stiffened so he didn’t move. Brainwashing. That was what this was. An injured man was afraid of her because she was his ‘superior.’ The Kaminoans had a lot to answer for and Jango was going to get a earful from her, new ally or not.

“Nu’shaadlar, di’kutla verd.” _Don’t move, idiot soldier._ She said, just loud enough that the men standing close to her could hear her. Some of the worry gave way to sheer surprise at the Mando’a dropping from her lips. It was enough of a distraction to get her close to the wounded man and place her hand against his chest. She locked eyes with him and felt him suck in a breath, knowing that her eyes had begun to glow. Pressing inward she found the damage and quickly healed it. As discreetly as possible she also scanned the man’s body, not having yet had the chance to ‘see’ one of them up close. When she was finished she stepped back and gave him a small smile.

“Me’vaar ti gar jii?” Her tone made it less a question of how he was feeling and more a demand for a sitrep. She was quickly starting to understand that these men would both be easier and more difficult to handle than her mercenary comrades. Not only would she have to deal with a soldier’s stubbornness but she would have to deal with a slave’s mentality. It made her soul hurt.

“N-naas.” Was the half whispered reply, tinged with awe. She felt relief rush through her.

“Good. I think I’ll reintroduce myself then.” Stepping further back she put her hands behind her back and planted her feet on the ground a shoulder’s width apart. With her small stature it wasn’t very imposing but it certainly gained her everyone’s attention. “I am Hiena Faashailih, Jedi Master specializing in Force Healing. I expect you will be seeing a lot of me around here from now on.” Especially if they kept getting themselves hurt.

She let her gaze sweep over them before giving them a curt nod. “I’ll let you get back to your training now.” That said she turned on her heel and went back to her guides, who were watching her with a mix of emotions she was too unfocused to try and untangle at the moment.

The tour continued from there and they stopped by different training groups, often stopping to introduce herself to not only the training sergeants but the clones as well. The more she saw the more confused and angry she became. It was well on the way to last meal before she finally told her two guides that she’d had enough and was too exhausted to continue. To her surprise they seemed to eye her worriedly as she pulled up her hood and hid inside the small patch of quiet darkness it offered her.

Mereel offered to grab her something to eat so she could retire to her room and she gratefully took him up on the offer. “If you see Kal, Cort, or Jango let them know I’ll have a report for them to go over tomorrow.” She said tiredly.

[***]

Once she was back in her room with the lights lowered to near darkness she finally began to relax and let out her frustration. Closing her eyes she fell into meditation and slowly went over everything she had seen and felt during the day. Sometimes dealing with your emotions was as easy as identifying them and rationalizing them. While othr times there was nothing that could be done but to acknowledge she was feeling them, and why, then leave it at that. It was not an exact science after all, each sentient was different and handled emotions in their own way.

Normally when she meditated she left a small part of her mind on her surroundings, in case someone got too close. This time she fell deep, a little too deep. A moment before the hand touched her shoulder she sensed the presence of someone she did not know and did not recognize. Even before her eyes opened she was grabbing their wrist and twisting out of their hold. Launching herself over them she let go of their arm when she realizes she wasn’t strong enough to twist it behind their back without using the force to break it. She landed crouched in a flurry of cloth, having forgotten to shed her cloak, violet eyes snapping open and taking in as much information as she could. Her hands were on the hilts of her lightsabers before she finally registered the clone standing defensively in front of her.

“Haar’chak.” She breathed as she let her hands fall away from her weapons, fingers splayed and palms forward to show she wasn’t about to attack him. In one fluid motion she stood, feeling her cheeks heat slightly in embarrassment. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, you startled me.” The man stood there quietly, watching her for a moment before he nodded in acceptance.

“It’s fine.” Silence descended between them for a moment before she recognized the small flash of mirth. She huffed.

“Was there a reason you interrupted my meditation?” She should have been more annoyed but honestly she was just curious.

“I brought your meal.” She followed his eyes to the small kitchen to see a tray sitting there waiting for her with a steaming cup of something next to it.

“Oh, I thought Mereel was going to bring it. Thank you…” She frowned, realizing she had yet to actually meet this man.

“Kom’rk.” She smiled, thankful that he had answered her unasked question.

“Thank you Kom’rk.”

“You’re welcome.” Without another word he left her alone in her quarters, leaving her feeling a little out of sorts. He felt like Ordo and Mereel so she wanted to assume he was someone related to them. Especially if Mereel had asked him to bring her meal in his place. But she didn’t think making that kind of assumption based on how similar he felt to her two guides was fair to him. Maybe she could ask later.

Sitting down to her meal she pulled up a datapad and went about writing her report. The cup ended up being a variant of shig, the familiarity of which made more of the tension leave her.

If she had to be on this hellish planet at least she was holed up with a type of people she was familiar with. Although she was certain that before long she was going to have to prove she was more than just an outsider. She may not have been adopted into a Clan but Ash Squad of Parjai Company had claimed her as one of them. She was their Atin Baar’ur’ika, or stubborn little medic. Liera had no plans on stopping her old habits now, even if she had to play at being a proper jedi.

“I wonder if you’d be proud of who I’ve become, master.” She asked the air as she finally settled in to sleep.


	3. Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Languages in Italics are a secondary language to the speaker. For Liera that means Mando'a for Cort that means Basic.

When she’d first started out with Parjai Company she had still been quite new to everything outside of being a jedi. She may have been good at communication and reading people but she was ill prepared for a life of hiding her true self. So… she didn’t. She didn’t try to craft a new identity for herself besides changing her name to Stella Farskei and hiding the fact that she was force sensitive. She introduced herself as a medic who had some experience in the field thanks to a string of bad luck that ended with her parting ways with the previous group she worked with.

Thankfully they didn’t dig too deeply into her past, accepting that she wanted to move on with life and start over after the tragedy of her father’s death. Another stroke of good luck was that the company was made up of Mandalorians, not the kind of people someone would investigate when looking for a lost jedi. All she had to do was hide her lightsabers and force sensitivity and she could blend in fairly well. After all- medics were almost universally respected, if not appreciated all the time.

After three months of working with Parjai she had fallen in with Ash Squad quite easily. They were the only squad without a dedicated medic and adding ‘Stella’ to the mix rounded them out to an even eight members. They had been confrontational at first but she quickly realized it was normal for them to want to challenge others and compete with one another. At first they’d tried to cow her but after she wiped the floor with Klee in a spar they recognized she was just as stubborn as any one of them, regardless of her small stature.

She never really thought about the fact that they were Mandalorian unless something particular came up and they either had to explain it to her or they clammed up, unable to say anything due to it being something for Mandalorians and Mandalorians alone. They picked on her for her lack of ‘proper’ armor and cheered when she finally let them start kitting her out. The armor she ended up with wasn’t beskar’gam, for obvious reasons, but Ash Squad had helped her buy parts of it so it was important to her. Like her bracers. She adored the design Gerrith had painted onto them, twining around the metal in a white and pink flowering vine pattern. The design on her chest armor was the quartered shield of Parjai Company in blue and green with the black talon of Ash Squad in the center.

She remembers walking into the barracks after a long shift in the medbay, thinking they were already asleep, and smiling when she heard them awake. _“Do you think Stella’s ready for the white field yet?”_ She stopped when she heard her name, confused at what they could be talking about. White field? What white field?

 _“I think she’s almost there. We just need to talk to her about it, really. She’s already one of us. It’s a formality at this point.”_ She could feel the affection from them even in the hallway and it made her feel warm.

 _“After her trip with the newbies. She doesn’t need that kind of life changing decision weighing her down while she’s trying to keep those idiots alive.”_ The others laughed and after a moment or two of silence she made her presence known. Coming into the room she yawned and looked around at them in ‘surprise.’

 _“Still awake?”_ She asked, hands on hips in what she knew the others referred to as her ‘scary medic’ stance.

 _“Just waiting to see how our stubborn medic is holding up. Doesn’t feel right to pass out without knowing whether the squad is safe or not.”_ Gerrith shrugged nonchalantly as Flik and Savi threw down their cards, everyone abandoning the game they’d been playing.

 _“I’m alright, just tired.”_ She eyed them critically. _“And so are you. Go, sleep.”_ They chuckled at her as she headed toward her own bunk. They were always so amused by her mother-henning.

As she settled in to sleep she wondered what question they had for her, and what decision was so important that they would wait for her to return from her mission before asking. Closing her eyes she wondered again if the words Cin Vhetin had any other special meaning besides the obvious. Oh well. She’d find out when she returned.

* * *

Her morning is the same as the one before, although she feels a little heavy from a dream she can’t quite recall. Finishing her morning routine she picks up the datapad with her report on it and the tray from her meal the night before then heads to the trainer’s mess. When she arrives there are more trainers inside than the previous day. As she passed them they look over at her in surprise. Most of them just feel curious while a few of them are actively against her very presence. She knows what they focus on as she walks, she can feel Guardian and Haven humming in response to the negative attention. Sending a soothing sensation to her crystals she set down the dirty tray and picked up a clean one. When she had her breakfast and a cup of caf she found a place to sit by herself in a quiet corner.

Looking over her report to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything due to her exhaustion the night before she absently ate what was on her tray without really thinking about it. She felt someone approach and took a sip of her caf, saving her place on the datapad before looking up at the man who’d come to sit across from her. He was wearing clothes that were obviously mercenary yet he was clearly not a Mandalorian. He smiled at her. In the force he felt sincere enough so she smiled back.

“Nice to see a new face around here.” Cocking her head to the side she set down her cup.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you don’t get many visitors out here.” The man laughed.

“Not at all. Alek Jin.” Holding his hand out over the table he waited for her to shake his hand. Definitely not a Mandalorian. “So you’re an actual jedi, huh?” She blinked as she pulled her hand back and continued to nibble on her breakfast.

“That I am. Force sensitivity, lightsabers, and all.” Except not really. She hadn’t been a true jedi in a while.

“Damn. Think you might want to spar at some point? Without the laser swords.” Her eyebrows rose in surprise. Not many people would challenge a jedi to a spar but obviously this man had no restraint. He was either very confident in his abilities, very confident in her morals, or actually crazy. She was going to go with the latter considering he was one of the few non Mandalorian trainers Jango had found to train the clones.

“I can’t say I’m not interested. I need to keep in shape somehow. But you’ll have to wait until I’ve finished my work.” The man nodded, letting out a pleased hum.

“So what are you doing, anyway? We’ve never seen a jedi here before.” The energy in the room picked up and she could sense the attention of others nearby shift toward them. Ah, so that’s what he was after. Liera gave him a smile that was only this side of polite.

“A very important mission, I assure you.” The man’s eyes lit with interest and he leaned forward slightly.

“Oh yeah?” She nodded.

“Oh yes. I’m conducting a full audit. It’s very important that the Order knows its army is being trained well and its soldiers are being treated properly.” The man seemed to freeze on the spot, his eyes narrowing slightly. Liera kept the polite smile on her face as she finished with her breakfast and drank the last of her caf. She could feel a certain someone coming her way.

 _“Jetii.”_ She didn’t even need to look behind her to know it was Jango.

 _“Good morning, Jango. What’s new with you?”_ The people listening shifted in their seats in surprise as she greeted the man in Mando’a. She could feel him as he took in the room and heard his small snort of amusement.

 _“Nothing. You have a report for me?”_ Picking up the report she handed it over easily enough.

 _“I might have to make some additions later but it has a summary of my thoughts at the bottom if you don’t have time to read the entire thing.”_ Jango felt pleased in the force for a moment before his attention shifted to one of the Mandalorians sitting nearby.

 _“Gilamar, take the jetii with you to medical when you go.”_ A human male in sandy gold armor turned around and looked between her and Jango for a moment. Liera eyed his armor color carefully, knowing exactly what it meant and feeling sympathy for the man. She wondered who he had lost that he was still seeking vengeance for.

 _“Yes, Alor.”_ The man said with a deferential nod. Before he could leave Liera spoke up again.

 _“Jango. Cort gave me back my blasters but he never said what happened to my armor. I want it back. It has sentimental value.”_ The man paused and eyed her carefully for a moment.

 _“I’ll see you get it back.”_ She smiled at him, giving him a grateful nod.

With his task complete the man swept his eyes over the trainers in the mess once more before he turned and left without another word. All around her the curiosity of the trainers had only grown.

“You speak Mando’a?” She looked across at Alek, who seemed very nonplussed.

“I speak a lot of languages. Mando’a, Ryl, Bocce, and Huttese just to name a few.” She understood why they were surprised, not many jedi would bother learning Mando’a. But she couldn’t exactly tell them it was because she had been a medic in a Mandalorian Mercenary Company for two years. It was pretty obvious she was a Healer and not a Shadow. Besides, if she told them she’d learned the language while being undercover or something they would think she was untrustworthy.

“Come on then, jetii.” Looking up at the man Jango had called Gilamar she gathered up her tray and mug then followed him out after dropping them off.

It didn’t take long for the man to finally speak up as they walked together. Liera could feel his curiosity licking at the edges of his aura. Hiding a small smile she looked at him and cocked her head to the side slightly in question. “So why am I being taken to medical this morning?”

“Everyone goes through a yearly check.” She sighed.

“I’ve already had some blood work done, those results should be available to you.” The man looked surprised but decided not to comment on it. Instead he gave her a searching look.

“You have any questions for me?” He asked.

“If we’re going to medical does this mean you’re a medic?” The man let out a small noise of offense.

“A doctor.” Liera’s eyes brightened, as did her smile. She really should have guessed. Gilamar certainly felt like the kind of person who would become a doctor.

“I’m what the jedi refer to as a Healer. I use the force to heal the sick and wounded.” The man’s eyes widened slightly but he refrained from gawping in surprise. “I also have practical experience as a battlefield medic, although I never did get that training to become a certified surgeon.” With everything that had gone on in her life, all the upheavals, she’d never even thought of it. Her master had been the one pushing her to learn the more practical side of healing but she’d never really needed it. Not with her innate abilities in the living force.

“Would you like a tour of the facilities when we’re finished?” She smiled.

“I would. I’d also like to look in on the wounded men.” Gilamar looked like he wanted to protest but he bit his tongue.

The medical ward on this side of the facility was quite different from the ones the Kaminoans had put her in when they’d found her. She was introduced to the medics in training and took a moment to get acquainted with them all. Gilamar watched her carefully and she had to hide a smile more than once as she realized he was concerned for the clones wellbeing. She was glad to see them being treated as people by their trainers. Remembering that there were people who cared about the clones welfare would help her when she had to be in the same room with the Kaminoans.

Getting undressed when prompted she sat on the medical table in her breastband and underwear, with no shame or discomfort to speak of. Gilamar explained what he was doing as he did each test, a clear teaching habit that made her smile.

“Be careful of my hair, please, I have vibrissae.” The man stopped his examination, eyebrows rising curiously.

“You have sensitive tactile sensors in your hair?” She snorted at the incredulousness in his voice.

“My species uses them to sense danger.” She did not explain that they were also highly sensitive to the force.

When they were finished she was cleared as being perfectly healthy, if a little fatigued. Gilamar prescribed extra sleep and told her not to exert herself too much for the next few days.

“Shall we go for that tour now?” She asked once she was fully clothed once more.

[Cort]

When Jango mentioned giving the jetii back her armor he remembered that in his haste to ensure she had nothing dangerous on her, and that she looked less like a mercenary and more like a jetii, he had stashed it all in his quarters. Then promptly forgotten about it. Now that he had time to look it over he was regretting not doing it sooner. The chest piece was pretty standard, good enough but replaceable if something happened to it. The greaves, boots, and visor she’d been wearing were the same, although the tech in the visor was long out of date. But when Cort picked up the bracers his mouth fell open slightly. They were heavier than the other pieces and clearly made of something far more valuable. Turning them over in his hands he followed the flowering vine patterns and cursed under his breath.

“Alor, Skirata.”

“Here.” Came the unmistakable voice of Fett.

“She’s adopted.” There was silence on the other end for a moment.

“What?” Kal snapped.

“Her bracers are beskar and painted.” There was a long moment of silence then a couple muttered curses. Beskar was expensive and hard to obtain, especially now. A lot of families took older armor passed down through family lines and reforged them to fit their children when they came of age, or new family members who were already of age. You didn’t just give beskar away to someone you didn’t care about, someone who wasn’t family.

“Which clan?”

“Not sure. It’s a flowering vine pattern done in white and pink… someone really cares about her.” White for purity, not unusual for a medic but also not unusual for someone recently adopted, and pink for respect or affection. The detailing itself was painstakingly done, each line crisp and showing care.

“Get the clan name, find out who painted them. We can contact them for more information.” It was worth a shot.

“Yes, Alor.” Closing the comm channel he gathered the armor and brought it to the woman’s quarters. He took a quick holo of the bracers, in case he needed a reference, and went to go investigate.

After two hours he was completely at a loss. There didn’t seem to be any record of the specific clan with the flowering vines anywhere. He cursed Duchess Kryze long and hard for her continued obsession with stamping out their history and in the end decided to just ask.

_“Hiena, do you copy?”_

_“Cort, is it?”_ Came the musical voice from the other end.

_“It is. I have a question for you.”_

_“I’ll answer if I can.”_ She said with some amusement.

 _“Who painted your bracers?”_ Silence.

 _“Is there a reason you need to know that?”_ He bit back a curse at how defensive she sounded.

 _“Just interested in the design, never seen it before. Wondering what clan they were from.”_ A pause.

 _“His name is_ Gerrith Cin’Sara, House Uurkad. _I think everyone in Ash Squad was under House Uurkad, although only Gerrith and Savi were Clan Cin’Sara.”_ Well that was easy.

 _“Hm, never heard of House Uurkad before.”_ He mumbled.

 _“They were based on Manda’yaim, in Veskurya.”_ It was more information than he thought he’d get.

_“I was raised on Concord Dawn so I don’t know a lot about Manda’yaim. Anyway, your armor is now in your quarters.”_

_“Vor’e, Cort. I really appreciate it. The rest of the armor isn’t as important but the bracers were a gift and I would hate to lose them.”_ No kidding.

 _“They’re pretty impressive. Beskar, right?”_ There was a considering pause.

 _“That’s what Gerrith told me. When I asked where he’d gotten it from he said he had one of his family members reforge an old piece of armor into the bracers for me. He and Savi were adamant I wear at least the bracers if I was going to be one of them. They weren’t very impressed when I told them they would probably never get me in a helmet though.”_ She laughed and it was a light, pleasant, sound.

 _“Not a fan of looking like a typical Mando?”_ He asked before he could stop himself, feeling disgruntled.

 _“Oh, stars, no. I just have interesting biology that makes wearing anything on my head very disconcerting. It’s just much more comfortable if I don’t wear a helmet.”_ Immediately he found himself relaxing.

 _“They can make a helmet with an open back to accommodate that, you know.”_ He huffed.

 _“Oh… I should have thought of that. Flik had openings for his montrals after all.”_ Flik, another name he could look up.

_“In any case I need to get back to work.”_

_“Of course, sorry for keeping you so long. Thank you again.”_ With that she hung up on her end, leaving Cort alone to complete his mission.

Two hours later he was cursing in every language he’d ever learned and scrambling for his comm.

“Alor!” Jango growled as he picked up.

“What?”

“I found her old company… but it… it can’t be possible!” He knew his voice was shaking slightly but that could be forgiven all things considered.

“What is? Dammit Cort, what the fuck did you find?” 

“…Parjai Company was killed to a man in action on Manda’yaim during the Dral’han.”

“…what the fuck?” Jango half whispered under his breath. That… was pretty much Cort’s reaction too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They caught on faster than I anticipated. But most of them are badass mercenaries with brains and some of them were also cops at one point.


	4. Squall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life on Kamino is getting stranger and stranger for Liera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you recognize the inspiration for the lullaby let me know~
> 
> Edit: Good news! I should be getting new glasses in a week or so. No more headaches!

Wearing the bracers on her arms attracted quite a bit more attention than she had expected. The Mandalorians in particular stared after her, giving off waves of confusion and cautious acceptance or, in the case of Priest, disgust and hatred. She didn’t bring up these observations to Fett, since they were not hurting anyone, but whenever Priest or Rau were in the same room with her she tended to find an excuse to leave quite quickly.

Today she was touring the ‘Nursery,’ a word they used to describe the rooms where the youngest of the cadets were kept. The Kaminoans in charge of the children were just as cold and calculating as the others, if a little less outwardly disparaging of the clones. According to Mereel, Jango had a ‘stern talk’ with the Kaminoans in charge of the children. The smug grin on the man’s face made her chuckle as she read his underlying meaning.

Looking down at the rows of pods where the two and a half year old children, who were about five biologically, slept she had to keep herself calm as the Kaminoan quietly spoke about their ‘progress.’ As if they were thoroughbred pets rather than actual children. A faint cry of pain caught her attention and she watched a nurse droid hover over to one of the pods, opening it quickly. Feeling a pang in the force she turned and strode over to the droid before it could lift the child from the bed. “What are you doing?” She asked it.

“CT-89-4362’s immune system is attacking its organs. It is to be taken for decommissioning.” Around the small child she could sense a spike of fear-distress-sadness and knew that the children near CT-89-4362 were not, in fact, asleep. That they were aware of what was happening outside their pods and could hear the droid speaking. Mereel was a black hole of rage and hatred, clenching his fists and hiding them behind his back as he stood nearby stiffly.

“Give him to me.” The droid hovered there uncertainly before the Kaminoan ordered them to ‘obey any order the jedi gives.’ Holding the boy in her arms she smiled down at his feverish face and brushed her hand over his short hair. Sitting on the floor, ignoring the Kaminoan who made a noise of distaste, she reached outward with the force.

“Maeh iea saaifa fhi.” _‘I found a light inside me.’_ She began to sing quietly.

“Maeh asufai iea fuela.” _‘I’m going to let it grow.’_ It was surprising how easily the words came to her after all this time.

“Jhoura ilha eihl saaif fhi.” _‘Keep shining bright inside me.’_ The boy’s temperature was fluctuating wildly.

“Sutahii maeh tuura.” _‘Wherever I go.’_ Soothing his fever she looked deeper.

“Maeh iea saaifa maeli.” _‘I found a light inside you.’_ It looked as if he had a genetic defect.

“Maeh eas’ha iea fuela.” _‘I’m going to watch it grow.’_ One that was fixable with a little care and attention.

“Jhoura ilha eihl saaif maeli.” _‘Keep shining bright inside you.’_ Of course the Kaminoans wouldn’t think to just help the poor boy.

“Sutahii maeli tuura.” _‘Wherever you go.’_ But with her abilities this child need not suffer.

Blinking down into wide brown eyes she smiled gently. “Dar’baati, adiik. Gar cuyir morut'yc jii.” _‘Don’t worry, child. You are safe now.’_ The boy wrinkled his nose slightly, clearly not understanding the words. But he must have at least understood that she was the reason he wasn’t in pain anymore as she felt waves of gratefulness and relief he was giving off. Standing she set him onto his bed, running her fingers through his hair once more. “Go back to sleep. You’re all better now and shouldn’t get sick again.” The boy looked at her in awe for a moment, glanced at the Kaminoan, then the older clone, and quickly closed his eyes. The droid closed the pod a moment later.

“What did you do to it?” The Kaminoan asked her, sounding a cross between confused and annoyed.

“I used the force to heal him. He is now in perfect health and there is no reason to… decommission him.” She stated simply, honestly. Turning back to the scientist she gave her as serene a smile as she could manage. “Why don’t we continue with the inspection?” Tali Sa nodded gracefully and turned to lead her into another room. Mereel sidled up beside her.

“Tion meg ru'cuyir ibac?” _‘What did you do?’_ He asked, almost too quietly for her to pick up.

“He had a genetic defect. It would have been manageable with medication and he would have been fine.” She had to look down for a moment and send her anger out into the force. She couldn’t allow the Kaminoans to see just how much this all bothered her. She had to remain serene like a jedi, at least outwardly. “I fixed it.” The man faltered slightly, although it only looked like he froze for about half a second. She could feel his surprise in the force and frowned. “Are you more surprised that I was able to heal something like that? Or that I did it so readily?” The man frowned at her for a moment before Tali Sa caught their attention.

Mereel never answered her question.

[***]

Sitting down to an early breakfast, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all the night before, she once again wondered why she was there. She had never even heard of Kamino before and the more she learned the more she was coming to dislike being there. At least the clones had quickly come to regard her as someone they could open up to, if only a little bit. She knew they were keeping things from her but didn’t press them to tell her anything they didn’t want to. It was clear that they had nothing to themselves, nothing that was solely theirs. As much as she wanted to remedy that as soon as possible she could feel the force warning her.

Wait, it seemed to say. Patience. Whether or not she was part of the Order she was still in tune with the force. If it was telling her to wait she would listen.

 _“Morning.”_ Mij grunted, setting his tray across from her and settling down onto the bench.

 _“Good morning. Early start?”_ The man yawned and she hid a smile with her cup of spiced caf. _“That’s a yes.”_ He gave her a dry look but she could tell he was amused.

 _“You?”_ He asked.

 _“Never slept.”_ His expression turned almost stern and she wanted to sigh. What was it with Mandalorians and wanting to mother-hen her all the time? _“I was going through lists of genetic ‘defects’ in the cadets and organizing medical visits with them all.”_ The man straightened, body taut with concern and suspicion.

 _“Why?”_ It was Liera’s turn to give him a stern look.

 _“Because I don’t want to see children being taken away by the Kaminiise and killed! Not when I can do something about it.”_ Mij sucked in a breath and leaned back from her slightly, wary. A shuddering breath left her lips as she closed her eyes and worked through her anger, falling into a simple breathing exercise she could perform in her sleep. _“I apologize. I shouldn’t be yelling at you. You aren’t at fault.”_ The man relaxed and nodded at her.

 _“So, you’ve been speaking with the Mand’alor a lot. Anything I should know?”_ The man chuckled, trying to change the subject. Liera stared at him, confused.

 _“The Mand’alor? When have I spoken with the Mand’alor?”_ She asked. Mij watched her for a moment before putting a hand against his face and letting out an amused sound. And that was how Kal found them a moment later. With Mij trying to stifle his laughter and Liera feeling quite out of the loop.

 _“What’s wrong with him?”_ The man asked, dropping down on the bench and eyeing the doctor.

 _“I don’t know.”_ She could tell he was amused, and a little disgruntled, but not much else.

 _“Skirata, she doesn’t know who our Mand’alor is.”_ The man choked out. Kal’s eyebrows shot into his hairline before understanding crossed his face and he snorted.

 _“That’s going to be a fun conversation.”_ The man grinned mischievously, eyes alight with boyish amusement. From the way the two of them were reacting, and Mij’s words earlier, she concluded that she had spoken with the current Mand’alor quite a bit. Following the way the two spoke to one another she knew that neither of them were the Mand’alor, since they spoke about them as if they were absent. Which left only Cort or Jango.

 _“…it’s Jango isn’t it?”_ The two men gave her looks of approval. _“How? They’ve cloned him millions of times and they don’t even-”_ It was absolutely baffling. Mandalore was a powerful system. _“But I thought Mand’alor the Forged was a woman?”_ Kal opened his mouth then shut it again, seemingly at a loss for words.

 _“Mand’alor the Forged? Wasn’t she the Mand’alor that fell during the Dral’han?”_ Liera frowned.

 _“Dral’han? I don’t know that word.”_ Mij looked at her as if she were crazy while Kal looked as if he’d bitten into something sour.

 _“But you-”_ Kal put a hand on the man’s shoulder and shook his head.

 _“Leave it.”_ Mij looked as if he wanted to ignore the older man but Kal’s hand tightened on his shoulder and he winced. _“Leave it. She has to talk to the alor first.”_ The man got the message and nodded. Liera wasn’t sure what that was about but assumed it was something she wasn’t yet privy to, as an outsider, and didn’t pry.

 _“So, who painted your bracers?”_ The younger of the two men asked when the silence had gone on too long. Liera smiled.

 _“A good friend who took care of me. He and his partner insisted I wear them.”_ She wasn’t sure how much she could reveal to Mij, since Jango had yet to tell her who among the Cuy’val Dar were trustworthy. She didn’t want anyone finding her records as a mercenary and realizing she was no longer a jedi. It would jeopardize everything.

 _“Insisted, huh? They didn’t ask?”_ She looked between Mij and Kal.

 _“Ask me to wear them? Clearly they did.”_ Kal shook his head.

 _“Ask you if you wanted to be adopted.”_ Liera froze.

 _“I… what? Adopted? What do you mean?”_ Mij nudged his tray out of the way.

 _“Do you know the Resol’nare?”_ Slowly she nodded.

 _“Education and armor, self defense, our tribe, our language, and our leader.”_ The others had repeated it enough times that she had memorized it.

 _“You speak our language, you wear beskar bracers, you’re a jetii so you know how to fight, and you’ve been following the orders of our leader. You say someone gave you those bracers and I’ll bet a years worth of ale that they wanted you in their clan. All you have left to do is swear the Resol’nare and you’d be one of us.”_ Her mouth opened to deny his claim but she closed it almost immediately afterward. Gerrith and all of Parjai squad had not known she was a jedi. They treated her like a little sister, like family. They had mentioned on more than one occasion that Mandalorians had a habit of adopting family members when they found someone they thought was worthy.

Bubbling up from the depths of her mind she remembered the night before she left for her last mission. How Gerrith and the others were waiting for her to return before they asked her something important. _“Does this have anything to do with the words Cin Vhetin? I overheard them speaking about it but I didn’t understand what they meant at the time.”_ Mij smiled.

 _“Cin Vhetin is the concept of starting over from scratch. Once you become Mando’ad anything you were before is forgotten. Your friends really aren’t very subtle. They were trying to claim you as theirs, although why anyone would try to adopt a jetii is beyond me.”_ Her throat felt tight. Liera Buraaisuh was a former jedi padawan. But Stella Farskei had been a down on her luck medic with no family… someone who had found a place for herself with a group of rowdy Mandalorian mercenaries.

 _“Gerrith and Savi aren’t very subtle, no. Madil was really the only one with any tact.”_ The two men chuckled. Liera brushed her fingers over the white and pink flowered vines twining up her right bracer and sighed. She should really try to get hold of Gerrith. They had to be worried about her. _“We aren’t allowed to contact anyone while here, are we?”_ She asked Kal, hoping her suspicions would be unfounded. The man gave her a curt nod and she sighed. _“I see. Thank you.”_ Looking down at her half eaten breakfast she decided she wasn’t very hungry after all. _“I’m going to get in some meditation before one of the Kaminiise comes to drag me off to see some other force forsaken thing they’re proud of that would give any normal jetii the fits.”_ Kal snorted and waved her off.

Finding her way around wasn’t as difficult as she’d first thought. The Kaminoans had markers and designations on the walls of the facility, it just so happened to be outside the range of human eyesight. Thankfully she was a near-human and could vaguely make out the marks that helped her get around. She really should have waited for one of Kal’s sons to walk with her, they seemed to know every nook and cranny of the facility. But she wanted some time to think alone.

Passing by an empty training room she stopped and nibbled on her bottom lip. She hadn’t gotten in any sparring recently and she was feeling far to energized to stay calm. “Just for a little while.” She decided, going inside and tossing her cloak into a corner. Pulling out a tie for her hair she quickly wound it all up into a bun and secured it before unclipping her belt and placing it on her cloak. Closing her eyes she reached out for the force and smiled when it reached back.

She took her time stretching out her muscles and warming up her body. Once she was ready she settled herself and slid into the first stance. The moves were new to her and still a little sloppy compared to the others in Parjai company but she had been told that only time and experience would smooth out the motions. All she had to do was practice.

Slowly as she struck the air she began to add in Ataru movements, weaving and ducking away from an imaginary attacker. Jumping into the air she flicked her foot upward as high as it would go, imagining it connecting to a sturdy chin. Tessok would have growled at her for that move and caught her ankle before tossing her across the room. Liera smiled to herself as she landed, rolling to disperse the kinetic energy before bouncing back to her feet. Sweat clung to her skin and she was certain her face was flushed pink from exertion. With some reluctance she stopped. It wouldn’t do to tire herself out too much. Placing her hands together in front of her she breathed out, pushing her hands forward, then breathed in, pulling her hands toward her. She repeated the gesture above her head then again out in front of her. Once she felt relaxed and centered she let her hands drop and wiped at her forehead with her arm, careful of the bracers clinging to her blouse.

A bubbling feeling of excitement and hushed sort of awe tickled the edges of her awareness and she turned to see an entire class of troopers staring at her. Her face reddened in embarrassment. “Ah. Was there supposed to be a class in here this morning? My apologies.”

“No need, Sir. It was a last minute change in the schedule.” Nodding to the man who seemed to be in charge of training, one of the older clones, she walked over to her cloak to retrieve her things. She would need a shower and a change of clothes before she could continue for the day.

“There’s no need to refer to me as Sir. I’m not in your direct chain of command.” The older clone frowned, looking as if he’d swallowed something very sour.

“Then I’d like to ask you something.” Intrigued she nodded, motioning for him to go on. “What kind of combat was that?”

“A mix of Mando Dati’marev and Jedi Ataru movements.” The man’s surprise seemed to ripple through the others quickly.

“You know an ancient Mando martial art?” She tried to keep her expression calm as she sensed his curiosity and no small amount of disdain.

 _“I know a lot of things.”_ She replied in Mando’a. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I need to get clean before one of the Kaminiise comes looking. Have a good day cycle.” Leaving the men behind her she scurried back to her room to get properly ready for the day. The fact that most of the clones were terrified of her, or idolized her, was always nerve wracking.

Walking out of the fresher she froze when she sensed a presence in her room. Immediately her eyes flicked over to the man standing in her living area. He turned, looked at her state of undress, and quickly averted his eyes. Liera let out a small chuckle. “I didn’t know I had a guest. Just give me a moment.” Going into her bedroom area she dressed as quickly as she could and came back out into the main room. “Sorry about that. What did you need?”

“You set some appointments for cadets. Those appointments won’t be needed anymore.” Liera saw the datapad in his hands and hurried over, practically snatching it from his hands. Her eyes scanned the list of newly decommissioned clones and anger filled her. “Are you okay?” Looking up at Kom’rk she saw his eyes fall to her hands and realized she was shaking. Setting down the datapad she tried to let go of her anger but found she couldn’t. Something had to be done.

“If you want to see me put the fear of the Force into some demagolka hut’uune then you better keep up.” The man gave her a vicious grin, motioning for her to lead the way.

Liera wasn’t an angry person, normally. She wasn’t hateful or dark. But killing children for something they couldn’t help? She was going to have words with these scientists and when she was finished they wouldn’t even sneeze around a cadet without her say so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a translations:
> 
> Dral'han- The Mandalorian Excision. _Which happened 15 years after Liera vanished from her time._  
>  Dati'marev- Contact with fist. Made up word for an old Mandalorian style of martial art.  
> Demagolka hut’uune- Evil cowards.


	5. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liera makes some rash decisions, which worry and confuse the Mandalorians around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fought me all the way. I ended up deleting it twice and starting over. But here it is!

[Jango]

Striding swiftly down the hall with Kal at his side, Ordo following behind them like a dutiful shadow, Jango repeated every single curse he’d ever learned in his lifetime. The Kaminiise had called him in a panic about the jetii who was currently interfering with their work. Who in the void between stars told them that he was a jetii wrangler? Of course once he heard the woman in the background he knew that he had to stop her regardless. The vitriol in her voice had sent a shiver down his spine. He knew what happened when force wielders lost control of a situation, or themselves.

Galidraan and Komari Vosa were the immediate incidents that came to mind.

“Why the hell is she jeopardizing the mission? I thought she was smarter than that.” Kal grumbled. Jango had no idea. He hadn’t understood much of what had been said, it had been too brief.

“We’ll find out when we get there.” Was all he said.

Entering the room he was immediately struck by two things. One, Kom’rk was standing right kriffing there, looking smug, and two, Liera’s hair was floating. There was no wind and yet her hair was clearly defying gravity. It was unnerving as hell. As unnerving as the raw feeling of power he could sense curling around her slender frame.

He may have been as force sensitive as a rock but his instincts were razor sharp. He knew danger when he looked at it.

 _“I hope I have made it abundantly clear what will happen if you undermine my authority again.”_ She wasn’t yelling, but she didn’t have to. The Kaminiise were very obviously cowed, looking at this small woman in a mix of jetii robes and beskar’gam as if she were insane and dangerous. At the moment she certainly looked it.

 _“What’s all this?”_ He called out gruffly. The young woman stopped and slowly turned to look at him. All that laser focus pointed directly at him. It felt like she was looking through him, right into his very soul. Her eyes were glowing, as if lit from within by a raging fire.

Jango had seen that kind of anger before. Had seen it reflected in the mirror aboard Jaster’s ship after the loss of his parents and sister. It was rage brought about by grief.

 _“I was explaining to the Kaminoans what would happen to them if they ever interfered with my work again.”_ One of the tall cowards turned to him and he was almost certain they were relieved to see him. If he wasn’t worried about the former jetii messing up their plans he would have found a lot more pleasure in it.

 _“We were trying to explain that the clones we decommissioned all had inoperable genetic defects. One case in particular who was decanted blind.”_ Children. They’d killed more children and the former jet’ika had learned about it.

 _“It was a simple fix for a healer like myself! I put those boys on the list so I could heal them- not so you could kill them in cold blood!”_ Kal cursed harshly behind him and Jango suddenly understood what had set her off. Liera felt responsible. She had put those children on a list and the Kaminiise had taken it as an opportunity to get rid of ‘sub-par products.’

 _“Master Hiena.”_ He said carefully. The woman looked back at him in confusion before some of the reason seemed to return to her eyes. _“Why don’t you take this matter directly to the Prime Minister. You can explain why interfering with your work is counterproductive.”_ Her lips became a thin line and she stared at him for a long moment before closing her eyes. The change wasn’t immediate but it was noticeable. Slowly her hair stopped floating and the feeling of a raging storm receded. When she opened her eyes again they were no longer glowing.

 _“I believe I shall. If you’ll excuse me.”_ As she strode away Kom’rk nodded to his father and brother before following in her wake.

 _“I thought jedi would have better manners.”_ One of the scientists muttered. Jango shook his head. They knew nothing about the jetiise.

 _“I suggest not doing something like this again. She is a Jedi, after all. The clones are her property. If she wants to mess around with them then I think you should let her. What’s a few clones that would be decommissioned anyway?”_ It made his stomach feel as if it were filled with acidic eels to say it, but he could see the Kaminiise slowly agree with him.

Once everything was settled they headed toward the Prime Minister’s office. They needed to get a handle on the rogue force user before she fucked up their plans. Regardless of how fancy her powers were it was pretty obvious she was still a teenage girl, with temper tantrums and all.

Seeing Kom’rk standing outside the Prime Minister’s office they waited quietly with him while Liera finished her talk. They were too wary about speaking in the hall to talk to one another, even using hand signs. The Kaminiise were demagolkase, not stupid. After years of the clones learning the same Mando hand signs there were bound to be a few of the tall bastards that understood.

Liera exited the room, not surprised by their presence. Kal put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched slightly before relaxing and letting him lead her away. By the time they got to Kal’s apartments it was clear the girl was having a hard time controlling herself.

Leading her to one of the couches Kal pushed her gently and she sat, eyes distant.

“What was that?” Jango finally asked. She looked up at him, eyes dull with grief, and he couldn’t help flinching away slightly.

“I’ve been so out of sorts lately I- I should have felt- I should have known! The force is so, so… distorted right now. It’s been hard for me to focus.” Her broken explanation didn’t help much. She seemed to understand that and looked up into his eyes. “All those children... I just wanted to help. I could have saved them!” Then, like a dam bursting, she put her face in her hands and began to openly weep.

Ordo and Kom’rk stared at her, wide-eyed and confused, while Kal sat down and put an arm around the small jetii’s shoulders.

“Hush, you didn’t know ad’ika. Your heart was in the right place.” Turning into the older man she latched onto him and just began to cry harder. The boys stiffened, ready to move, but he waved them back down. She just needed some time to get it all out of her system.

An hour later the girl was sitting on the couch, quietly, with a mug of hot shig in her hands- staring at the raging storm outside without truly seeing it. It struck Jango how odd it was to see her so still when she was usually so vibrant and full of life.

It was like looking at a ghost.

“Got it!” Jaing shouted, voice excited as he hurried into the room.

Walking right over to the young woman he held out a datapad, looking quite pleased with himself. The woman looked up at him slowly then down at the datapad, carefully taking it from his hands. “Not everyone on the list was… lost. There are still some batches in processing. They tried to hide the evidence by halting the process. I found them.” The young woman’s eyes brightened, some of the life and energy returning. She set her mug down and stood.

“Well? What are we waiting for?”

[Liera]

Entering the large sterile room she turned around and gave the Kaminoan following behind her a stern look. “I am not to be disturbed, do you understand me? These cadets are now under my care and I will hear no more words to the contrary. I have signatures from both Jango Fett and your Prime Minister. Until I come back out of this room I do not wish to be disturbed.” Turning to look at Kom’rk, thankful that he had stayed with her, she nodded to the door. “Guard the door, Lieutenant.” The man noded, hiding his amusement well, as he stood next to the door in a guard position. “If I need anything I will ask for it myself. Until then, I bid you good day.”

The Kaminoan just blinked at her slowly for a moment before realizing she was absolutely serious. They spluttered a little, their pride wounded, but Liera couldn’t bring herself to care. There was a group of terrified children, thirty of them, huddling together at the far end of the room and their fear was pressing against her mind.

Once the Kaminoan finally left and the door closed behind them Liera let out a sigh of relief. Turning to regard the children she gave them a reassuring smile and slowly walked toward them. She could feel their fear spike and immediately stopped. Carefully she lowered herself to the floor, on her knees. She rested her hands on her lap, palms up and clearly empty.

At first the boys just watched her warily, looking for a trick. But when she didn’t move after nearly ten minutes they slowly began to relax. One of the more brave cadets took a step forward, halting only when another boy made an aborted attempt to reach for his arm. The boy looked back at his brothers and she swore she could sense… Closing her eyes she reached out for the boys and let her force presence envelop them in a sense of calm and safety. The boy at the front jumped slightly before she felt his mind tentatively reaching out.

The boy was force sensitive.

It wasn’t a very strong presence and it wasn’t controlled like a jedi initiate’s would be, but it was there. Opening her eyes she smiled at him and held up a hand, inviting him to come closer. The boy hesitated for a moment before dashing over to her side and wrapping his arms around her.

Startled she was nearly bowled over by the six year old as he latched on. Letting out a small chuckle she wrapped one arm around him and held him. “It’s okay, little one, you’re all going to be okay.” Then it was like a dam breaking. All the children swarmed her, asking questions and seeking comfort. She could feel the slight curious brush against her senses and realized that more of the boys were force sensitive than she’d thought.

As each of them got closer she carefully used the force to look for the genetic defects noted in their files.

What she came away with was a sense of seething rage. Only a third of the boys had any actual genetic issues that could cause problems as they grew older. But all of them were force sensitive, though something seemed to be suppressing it at the moment.

“Have you been given any medication lately, any new food from the Kaminoans?” The boys became quiet, looking to the boy who had decided to sit next to her, wedging himself under her arm to soak up her force presence.

“Yes. They gave us these pills that made most of us feel really dizzy and sick. Everything felt floaty and dark around the edges.” Force suppressants. They’d given children suppressants to try and cover up the fact that they could touch the force. That meant that at least one of the Kaminoans knew the boys could touch the force and were trying to hide it from her.

She swallowed down her anger, hiding it behind the tightest shields she could manage, and smiled serenely at the boys.

“They won’t be giving you any more pills like that. I’m going to heal you with the Force so you won’t be sick anymore.” The boys looked awed, giving off feelings both excited and nervous. Glancing back at Kom’rk she hesitated for a moment before signing at him to fetch the Mand’alor. The man frowned at her slightly but nodded, leaving the room to use his wrist comm without interrupting the boys.

“You’re the Bright One, aren’t you?” The boy sitting next to her asked. He’d given his name as Nova, one of the few who had named himself rather than earning it or having an older, trusted, brother name him.

“Bright one?” She asked curiously as she watched the boys snuggling against one another around her, slowly falling asleep now that they felt protected and watched over.

“Mhm. Dral’ad be Kar’au.” He mumbled as his eyes slid closed and his breathing evened out. Liera’s heart thudded heavily in her chest.

Dral’ad be Kar’au. It was Mando’a. It meant Bright Child of Starlight.

Liera swallowed as she brushed her hand across the boy’s forehead soothingly. Nova was clearly more powerful than the others if he was this perceptive to the force. The door opened behind her and she sighed in relief as two familiar signatures entered.

 _“Mand’alor. I believe we have a bit of a problem.”_ She could feel the man scowling behind her.

 _“What now?”_ Turning to look him right in the eyes she motioned down at the boys.

 _“Did the Kaminiise ever tell you why they were decommissioning children when they had absolutely no physical defects?”_ A spike of alarm. He hadn’t known then. Good. If he had then she wouldn’t have been able to trust him.

 _“Why the fuck are they decommissioning ad’ike when nothing’s wrong?”_ He snarled, though he kept his voice down.

 _“Because.”_ She turned to look down at Nova sleeping against her side. _“They can’t have the jedi finding out they’ve been killing force sensitive ad'ike.”_ Jango’s breath hitched and she could feel the rolling waves of conflicting anger and regret. She shielded the boys from the wash of emotions, bringing them nothing but peaceful rest with a gentle force suggestion.

 _“How? I’m a force null!”_ Liera looked over her shoulder, frowning.

 _“That’s not how the force works. They may be genetically the same but each one of them is a unique soul with a different presence in the force.”_ She let out a sigh. “Luminous beings are we.” She quoted. “Stars made flesh. A drop of water in an endless sea. We are more than this crude matter- I am one with the force and the force is with me. As it is all of these children.” Silence fell, save for the faint snores of the various children.

 _“What are you going to do?”_ Liera looked back at Jango, her eyes filled with a fierce determination.

 _“I’m going to train them.”_ The man looked thunderous, hands clenched and mouth open to speak. She cut him off before he could say anything. _“I know your name as my children, Nova and the brothers."_ A sharp feeling of surprise in the force made her smile as her words began to sink in.

She had claimed these boys as her sons before the Mand’alor. There was no going back now. These children were hers to protect, to love and to teach. She would do everything in her power to keep them safe. Them and every other child on Kamino who needed guidance.


End file.
